An unnamed terrorist group has gone directly for the beating heart of the city: its government. Of course, it’s up to you and your capable team of operatives to take them down, ensuring the safety of everyone caught up in their plans. Expect some tense tactical gameplay across three new missions, which you can take on in style courtesy of some new cosmetics. The trailer’s as intense as anything you’ve seen in the base game, and you’re probably going to want to brace yourself before you dive in.

A detail about the DLC worth mentioning is that you’re not entirely locked out if you can’t purchase it right away, as you could find yourself in the lobby of a player who owns it and take on one of the new missions before you buy it. That’s an inclusive approach, and is most welcome in a title that we found very impressive last year.

Of course, we can’t see a reason why you wouldn’t pick up the DLC if you were a fan of the base game. Check out our review of the former here for more details.

The post is a the latest iteration of the Xbox Excellence Awards, which was created last year to celebrate how players engaged with various releases on Xbox. The Store Rating category lists 2025 games with the best ratings on the Microsoft Store, with an added requirement of the title having at least 500 ratings. Player Engagements is about the average number of hours spent on a game by each player within the first six weeks of a game’s release. Daily Active Users celebrates titles, expansions or updates with the highest single-day active users throughout the year. And finally Units Sold is fairly self-explanatory.

Going down the lists, you’ll find many of the biggest releases of the year, from ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6, as well as award-winning RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Indie titles have also been well-represented, with games like Crime Scene Cleaner and Satisfactory making it into the lists. There also doesn’t seem to have been a singular genre to dominate the lists, since everything from sports games like EA Sports Madden NFL 26, to fantasy adventure life sims like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and even fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics are well represented.

Curiously, none of the games was present in all four of the categories. At most, we got to see titles like Borderlands 4 being able to make it on to three of them: Player Engagement, Daily Active Users and Units Sold. Even ARC Raiders, which has seen quite a bit of success, is only on the Units Sold and Daily Active Users lists.

Microsoft has also emphasized that the lists represent a diverse collection of games developed by studios of varying sizes. All in all, it represents 48 unique developers based out of 13 countries, with 24 publishers having had a hand in their release. 19 of the games were self-published. “Taken as a whole, it’s an encapsulation of development on Xbox – we want gaming to reach you wherever you are, and for the teams making those games to find you from wherever they are,” wrote the company.

Full list of games:

Store Rating:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Crime Scene Cleaner
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dreamcore
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P: Overture
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• Little Nightmares III
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• Minami Lane
• Mullet MadJack
• Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
• Satisfactory
• Silent Hill 2
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Player Engagement:

• Borderlands 4
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Farm Together 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Helldivers 2
• Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• NHL 26
• Rust
• Satisfactory
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Daily Active Users:

• Arc Raiders
• Avowed
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grounded 2
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• Minecraft
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch
• Roblox
• Rocket League
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Units Sold:

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• EA Sports Madden NFL 26
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Helldivers 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• PGA Tour 2K25
• Ready or Not
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• WWE 2K25

Some of them did a better job than the others, though, and choosing a favorite among them was surprisingly easier than a similar choice in other categories. Are you curious to know which one caught our fancy in this very competitive corner of the gaming world? Let’s begin with the nominees and work our way up from there.

Let’s jump right in! The nominees for the best shooter of 2025 are:

1. Escape From Tarkov

There’s so much to like about this one. It does a brilliant job of making you feel like you’re a battle-hardened mercenary, while its movement systems and excellent weapon variety make it a very viable option for those of you who like playing multiplayer online. Its premise does a great job at providing context for your actions, while the visuals can make things quite immersive indeed.

As far as shooters go, Escape From Tarkov is definitely up there with the best ones of 2025.

2. Arc Raiders

Innovative, intense, and very interesting Arc Raiders’ spin on the extraction shooter formula has given its players a chance to create some truly memorable experience. Its post-apocalyptic world is one in which you can’t really trust anybody but when you find someone you can, it’s a beautiful moment with the potential for some spectacular ambushes on other Raiders.

It’s all so fast-paced and dripping with agency for its players that this gameplay loop is one that’s going to keep us diving back for more every time we get the chance.

3. Battlefield 6

Battlefield 6 had a lot riding on its shoulders after the debacle that was Battlefield 2042. The game has managed to live up to the hype, however, despite a poor response to its single player campaign. Its visuals are outstanding while the Kinesthetic movement system does wonders for its gameplay.

The Portal is so much better this time around, while its weapons, destructible environments, and a general feel of polish being a part of the experience make this one worth owning.

4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

As a version of STALKER 2 that came complete with all of the game’s updates over the past year along with some great touches from GSC that made use of the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers, the PS5 version of the game is the one to beat.

It’s very immersive while the improved and patched A-Life system and the newly added improvements to stealth make exploring The Zone on your PS5 an experience in which you’re always at risk even as you hunt down your enemies with skill and precision. The story is great and the world is one in which there is a lot of potential for unscripted chaos.

5. DOOM: The Dark Ages

The Slayer returned for a third instalment that channels everything that makes the first-person shooter genre so exhilarating. However, id Software’s switched-up gameplay loop coupled with a setting that explored the early days of the Slayer’s battles against enemy forces made this one a brutal romp through incredibly rendered environments.

Of course, those environments were peppered with deadly enemies and cool weapons for the Slayer to take on, and the entire experience is a blast from start to finish. You can’t go wrong with a DOOM: The Dark Ages title if you’re in the market for a new shooter.

6. Sniper Elite: Resistance

Rebellion’s return to the Sniper Elite franchise has been a largely entertaining trip, and watching Harry Hawker take on the Wunderwaffe was a delight. Of course, the gameplay mechanics were a huge part of that happiness, with a lot of freedom being given to players in determining their approach to a target.

The X-ray kill cam, and a lot of solid optional content makes this a great choice for those of you who like to shoot from a distance.

7. The Outer Worlds 2

This follow up to its 2019 predecessor is an RPG that’s going to have you grinning to yourself on many occasions even as you power through some intense battles and navigate a complex world with nuanced interactions between its factions and your character. The Outer Worlds 2 is full of memorable moments that’s balanced out by a story with some serious stakes..

With a lot of potential for build creation and excellent replay value, this is a game that can suck up a massive chunk of your life if you decide to take it on.

8. Escape From Duckov

Team Soda’s unique spin on an extraction shooter balances adorable characters with nail-biting action in this one. The top-down presentation works well to give weight to its mechanics while the visuals and story lend it a pace that’s quite satisfying.

As a single-player extraction shooter, Escape from Duckov stands out from the crowd, with a gameplay loop that seems deceptively simple until a firefight breaks out. It’s definitely worth a shot (pun intended).

9. Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition

Although the main campaign was a little too short for our liking, this tension-filled trek through a Xenomorph-infested facility was quite thrilling. The Xenos are brutal and relentless, coming at you from every possible angle while you’re left scrambling to find a good position and launch your counterattack.

The story on offer is quite riveting too, and it can be very rewarding to hunt down all of the lore drops you find in the well-rendered world. If only the next chapter of the story could get here faster.

10. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been a great game, making us burn the midnight oil more often than usual thanks to how addictive its gameplay loop can be. Its combat mechanics are top shelf while your psychic powers can be the road to some very creative ways to cause mayhem.

This one is a great addition to the Switch 2 lineup, and ticks all the right boxes that make up a solid shooter.

11. Metal Eden

If you’re a fan of shooters that require you to move fast and shoot faster, look no further than Metal Eden. With a lot of excellent mobility options at your disposal in the field, along with great weapons and a very well-implemented bullet time mechanic, Aska is capable of taking on the android antagonists who stand between her and the Cores.

Its gameplay and level design are somewhat let down by a lack of balancing and weapon progression systems but it’s still an excellent shooter nonetheless.

12. Borderlands 4

The Vault Hunters have returned, and with style. This is an action RPG that doesn’t take itself too seriously unless it’s an aspect of the experience that really counts. As such, its story and gameplay are excellent, while the franchise’s unique art style continues to hold its own among current-gen productions.

With an open world that hides a lot of fun things to do, and the franchise’s signature style guiding you along, you’re going to want to keep an eye on the clock as you play this one unless you’re planning to lose track of time.

13. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition

Sneakybox’s remaster of Demetrian Titus’ 2011 adventure continues to be a brilliant Warhammer 40k game. While it can be a little over-the-top in certain moments of its story, the combination of melee and ranged combat works very well with the weapon variety on offer and the narrative framing of the Ultramarines.

This is a quintessential Warhammer experience and is one that’s worth diving into even after all these years.

14. Ready or Not (PS5/Xbox Series X | S)

We’re going to tell you that this one came quite close to being the victor of this 2025’s best shooter. Its gameplay loop is filled with a sort of tension that comes from a presentation that’s done exceedingly well. It’s straightforward and easy to grasp while its moment to moment unpredictability make it a challenge to master.

Even the best of players might find themselves in the midst of a chaotic shootout, a single mistake costing them a lot of careful planning and tactical infiltration. Ready or Not is a masterpiece but it might not be everybody’s cup of tea thanks to its sensitive content.

15. Gears of War: Reloaded

Markus Fenix’s PS5 debut was all sorts of awesome. With a visual overhaul of the original experience working well with a story that continues to be as exciting as was back in the day, Gears of War continues to be a franchise that does the shooter genre justice.

From the nostalgia factor alone, to the mechanics and weapons you can wield, Gears of War: Reloaded is a great shooter, and its multiplayer scene continues to thrive thanks to the franchise’s immense popularity.

Well, we’ve put our cards on the table. And now comes the challenge of selecting a winner. While it hasn’t been easy and competition has been intense.

The winner of the best shooter of 2025 is…

Arc Raiders

This is a title that’s so unique and full of potential for community-driven chaos that it simply races ahead of its competition, bringing a very unique experience to the extraction-shooter space while its gameplay loop lends itself very well to unpredictability and tension between its world’s inhabitants. Lose yourself in this one, and you’re going to find that your fellow Raiders are your best friends and worst enemies all at once.

It’s been awesome trying out all of 2025’s greatest shooters. Here’s to many more excellent ones in 2026!

The latter is significant because last April, Ready or Not was announced to have sold over nine million copies on PC. Based on the current figure, it seems to have obtained an additional one million sales on the platform, which makes sense given the launch of Los Sueños Stories, a free update that added two new maps and weapons.

The latest patch went live last month, offering numerous fixes for crashes, texture issues, suspects spawning without weapons, and more across various missions. Check out the full notes here.

For more information on Ready or Not for consoles, check out our review. Void Interactive has yet to announce future DLC for the tactical squad-based shooter, but stay tuned for more updates.

Many of these titles could have been a lot more expensive considering the unique experiences they brought to the table. However, in a world where there are quite a few substandard titles at much higher price points, these titles stand out as shining beacons for gamers looking to enjoy solid games at reasonable prices.

With that in mind, here are a few amazing games that are currently priced at under 50 USD at the time of writing this article.

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition

Clair Obscur earns its place on this list with its poignant, riveting , beautiful visuals, entertaining gameplay, and a soundtrack filled with tracks that you will hum long after you’ve powered down your gaming system. It’s the complete package and a love letter to RPG fans from Sandfall Interactive.

2. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

It’s been a couple of weeks since Wuchang: Fallen Feathers hit the shelves, and it has more than earned its reputation as a solid Soulslike title that doesn’t break the bank while offering a lot to do in its gorgeous world.

Bai Wuchang’s single-minded determination to save her sister quickly evolves into a deadly Feathering disease that acts as a catalyst for some truly magnificent boss fights that will keep you on your toes for hours on end.

Pick this one up if you want a deadly world full of challenges to take on and secrets to tease out.

3. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Enhanced Edition

Ninja Theory’s cinematic work of art continues the story of Senua from its 2017 predecessor. It does so with aplomb, blending absolutely stunning visuals with a gritty, dark take on psychosis and unhealed trauma that is not only mature, but also quite poignant.

With incredibly designed levels, excellent voice acting from a talented cast, and a story that can haunt you long after you roll the credits on it, Senua’s PS5 debut is a title worthy of your time despite a rather bland approach to its puzzles and combat.

This is a game you must experience at least once.

4. Shadow Labyrinth

Pac-Man’s latest outing is Bandai Namco at its finest. Joined by the mysterious Swordsman #8, Pac-Man (or Puck) attempts to escape his prison in a mysterious world while uncovering the truth about events that put him there in the first place.

With a very unique art style, challenging exploration and combat, an interesting story full of references to other Bandai Namco franchises, and even its own backdoor pilot on Amazon Prime’s Secret Level, this is a game that’s entertaining and fun to play.

Just know that there’s a learning curve to its mechanics and combat, and you’re good to go.

5. Robocop Rogue City Unfinished Business

In the mood to just let loose and shoot some bad guys in the face? Robocop Rogue City: Unfinished Business packs everything that was good about the 2023 title into a condensed, fast-paced package that explores Alex’s origin story while pitting him against a villain who has quite the chip on his shoulder in the present.

Controlling Robocop is a lot of fun and is an excellent power trip for fans of the character’s deadpan line delivery and his views on serving up justice to those who need it. It helps that the story races along from start to finish, giving Robocop reasons and new ways to take down any who stands between him and his quarry.

Time to put the Auto 9 to good use!

6. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

Team Ninja grabs another spot on this list with its remake of the 2008 classic. Ryu Hayabusa is a force to be reckoned with in the field of battle, not hesitating to dismember his enemies in order to negate the threat they present. The game’s story is nothing to scoff at either, and can be quite entertaining depending on your taste.

With its upgraded visuals and a very solid gameplay loop, this remake is definitely worth checking out and is a steal at under $50 USD.

7. The Alters

This survival game from 11 Bit Studios has been making waves since it released in June 2025 on account of a very unique premise and a gameplay loop that can quickly have you hooked. Jan Dolski’s reality-bending adventure, in which he creates alternate versions of himself in order to achieve his goals, is a lot of fun and also has a lot of replay value with multiple endings to the adventure.

The Alters stands out from the crowd and could have you sinking many hours into it once you get invested in its bizarre premise and novel mechanics.

8. Blue Prince

Blending strategy, puzzle-solving, and roguelike elements, Dogubomb and Raw Fury’s effort to create an experience like no other has largely paid off. Simon’s efforts to secure his inherited mansion by finding a hidden room within are a marvellous tale filled with compelling mysteries that are both challenging and rewarding in equal measures.

With only two rooms in the mansion remaining constant from day to day, navigating this maze is sure to win you over as you try to find ways to tease out the secrets it is trying to hide.

If you’re looking for a game that has you grinning to yourself even as you scratch your head in confusion, look no further than Blue Prince.

9. Mafia: The Old Country

Hangar 13’s return to the Mafia’s roots is sure to entertain and delight you with beautiful visuals and a gameplay loop that takes the best of the franchise’s past titles and adds in a story that sees its Sicilian protagonist join hands with the titular organization at a time when it was only beginning to spread its wings.

Authentic recreations of early Sicily and a story that is bound to feature the franchise’s traditional twists and turns could make this a game that can soon become one that you find quite hard to put down.

10. Split Fiction

Mio and Zoe’s efforts to save their hard work from the hands of a greedy corporation takes them on an adventure in which their respective imaginations place them in worlds that draw from the best of pop culture while being a very entertaining game all on its own.

The two writers’ budding friendship permeates the gameplay loop on offer, and Split Fiction is best enjoyed playing split-screen co-op with a friend. It’s the perfect game for buddies who just want to chill out on the couch and take on a game that doesn’t demand too much from them while managing to entertain them too.

11. Ready or Not

Like Split Fiction, Ready or Not is best enjoyed with friends. Unlike Split Fiction, it is not meant to be a relaxing game. Judge’s crusade against crime takes him and his team to places in which the stakes are high, and even a single mistake could mean that lives are lost.

Ready or Not is a demanding game that requires you to be on your toes and ready to improvise based on what’s waiting for you around the next corner. However, for those of you who are up to the challenge, this is a game that could be the centerpiece of many co-op sessions in which you and your team can truly work together to dominate.

12. Elden Ring Nightreign

Another one that should be enjoyed with your friends, although it’s quite easy to just dive into a run with total strangers, Elden Ring Nightreign marks FromSoftware’s successful debut in the roguelike genre. You control one of eight Nightfarers with unique abilities, tearing across the land of Limveld in search of the Nightlords.

With unique stories for each Nightfarer, and a host of incredible bosses from Elden Ring and the Dark Souls franchise, Nightreign is a perfect title to dive into after a long day for a fun time collecting gear, upgrades, and of course, taking down imposing threats with your team in tow.

13. The Midnight Walk

This fascinating take on finding the light even in the most crushing darkness is a simple, fun, and very entertaining adventure. It’s a story told over five chapters, each of which examines how light and darkness could essentially be two sides of the same coin, neither being able to exist without the other.

The Burnt One and Potboy’s combined adventure is a tale that you won’t want to miss, while the unique art style and excellent level designs keep you coming back for more.

14. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Returning to Cyrodiil after all this time is going to be a huge draw for Elder Scrolls fans. Even if you haven’t been in touch with one of modern gaming’s most iconic franchises, Oblivion Remastered is a perfect opportunity to see what the fuss is about.

It’s a game in which you could truly get lost in, putting off the main campaign for as long as you like as you soak in the sights with its new Unreal Engine 5 makeover, while all of the side content and DLC of the original is now right there at your fingertips. Taking on The Mythic Dawn is a sure-fire way to keep you entertained for hours on end.

15. Days Gone Remastered

Deacon John’s melancholic tale of survival in a world gone horribly wrong continues to be a solid experience made even better by a remaster that brought some current-gen goodness to the table, making this the definitive way to take on hordes of terrifying zombies and living to tell the tale.

Just hopping on your motorcycle and cruising along in the game’s vast open world until something catches your attention is a viable way to enjoy this game, and is perhaps the best way to experience all it has to offer. Just be ready for its story to pull at your heartstrings along the way.

And that’s a wrap on our list of titles that are easy on your wallet but fairly challenging to get through fully. There’s a lot of value on offer in each of them, and if you’re looking for a new game to sink your teeth into, any one of these beauties will do!

Having such a wide variety of releases isn’t all bad – gamers are a diverse breed, after all, and the more choice of quality titles, the better. And despite Mario Kart World serving as the frontrunner for “Most Abrupt Leap to the $80 Price Tag” this year, other companies have been hesitating to jump on the same train. Even Microsoft decided to dial things back and price The Outer Worlds 2 for $69.99. Microsoft, for crying out loud.

Regardless, there is a range of games worth playing, and the single-player genre is no exception. You can pick up rogue-lites, top-down 2D adventures, sandbox craft-a-thons, massive role-playing games, dice-based sci-fi narratives where choices matter or base management survival games where you’re your own best friend (and worst enemy). That’s before getting to the more “traditional” $60 segment, which offers acclaimed titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and so on.

And yet, the year belongs to a peculiar price segment, one that would be considered double-A in previous years (with no small amount of disdain). $49.99 – It sounds so strange that such an arbitrary price could yield some of the best games this year. It started with Hazelight’s Split Fiction, which ironically was priced higher than the studio’s previous title, It Takes Two, by $10. Nevertheless, it sold more than four million copies in two months, becoming a much bigger success.

Things really kicked into gear with the launch of Clair Obscur: Expedition, Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game. The combination of stellar art direction, a compelling story and characters, a fantastic turn-based combat system, and that soundtrack which has to be heard to be believed – all of this made for an experience that many already consider to be Game of the Year. Ironically, the story is on the shorter side for the genre – about 30 hours or so – compared to, say, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Yet, combined with the extra content, the price point felt even more attractive (and that’s keeping in mind that those who enjoyed Rebirth feel it’s absolutely worth the $70 asking price).

Then there was The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered. Granted, it launched with no small amount of technical issues, bugs and performance quandaries, especially on PC, but the remastered visuals, combined with the excellent value for money, helped it stand out. Consider that it’s available on Game Pass, and yet it still moved enough copies to become the top-selling title in the United States thus far. Maybe it was the perfect storm of hype, and the $49.99 price was simply the cherry on top.

Ready or Not launched on consoles for the same price point. Either due to the lack of squad-based tactical shooters, a craving for a proper SWAT successor, or because it’s a very good game with robust single-player and co-op, it became a success. Over two million sold in about two weeks – not bad at all.

Then you had Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, which garnered some good reviews despite performance problems on PC, and now, Mafia: The Old Country. For the former, the price point makes some sense – it doesn’t boast the highest production values, especially in the visual department (despite some solid art direction). It’s also Leenzee’s first action RPG – even if it offers about 40 to 60 hours of gameplay for the average player, the lower barrier to entry makes up for the lack of brand recognition.

In the case of Hangar 13’s prequel, a story that finally takes us to San Celeste, which we’ve only briefly visited in past titles, it’s somewhat more baffling. Mafia has some name value, and the presentation, from the cutscenes with their performance capture to the visual fidelity and music, screams “triple A.” Perhaps it’s because the team focused on a safer gameplay loop and didn’t attempt an open world like Mafia 3. It probably translated to a lower budget and thus, a lower price. You wouldn’t guess it from the level of quality on display, though.

Maybe there’s no particular rhyme or reason why certain titles retail for $49.99, or even why several of them turn out so well. Teams with more focused visions for their titles are definitely a big contributor, but that’s only one part of the equation. They still need to execute on that vision over a fairly long development period. Maybe that’s what makes the price so attractive for some developers, especially when they’re taking bigger risks compared to major publishers. As for the likes of Mafia: The Old Country, it could simply be some measure of caution on 2K’s part, given how long the franchise has been dormant and the mixed reactions to Mafia 3. The fact that it offers such an enjoyable experience for its price is a bonus.

Amid all this, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter offered an interesting take to GamesRadar – that video game pricing right now is “a little Wild West” and there’s no clear standardization, as was commonplace in previous generations. Furthermore, the titles which are priced on the higher end are those with “super dedicated fan bases in general, where price sensitivity, particularly at launch, is very low, meaning that people want to play this game no matter what it costs.” That would certainly explain why, despite mixed reactions to Mario Kart World’s pricing, it still became a massive success with 5.63 million sold in its first month.

Perhaps the appeal of so many $49.99 titles is that they feel like they’re worth more than that price. That a developer could realistically demand more, and yet, they don’t, and even avoid shoving microtransactions, battle passes, and other nickel-and-diming to make up the difference. It’s not a guaranteed winning formula, and time will tell if Mafia: The Old Country is justified in pursuing that price when it could have sold for higher and arguably earned more revenue per copy sold. But the fact that it’s a trend is something worth celebrating.

Personally, it feels like the perfect middle ground between more experimental concepts, stories and ideas, while still offering the presentation, scale and fidelity that triple-A titles used to be renowned for. Value is subjective – that will always be the case, and there are plenty of $60 to $70 titles which have provided dozens of hours of entertainment for fans. Even the expectation that a title could offer that much is enough for some people – just look at the hype surrounding Battlefield 6.

However, with so many titles launching yearly, it’s nice to see some of them catering to my interests at such attractive prices. Maybe there won’t be dozens of new, similarly priced turn-based RPGs with incredible storylines, but the fact that we still got Clair Obscur means there’s hope for the future.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

“Ready or Not has recently announced 2 million copies sold on console platforms, and we’re blown away by the response so far,” wrote the studio. “For those in the US looking to play on physical, we need a bit of extra time to get it to you, and it will be coming on September 26th. For audiences in the European Union, Ready or Not will be available on physical for August 8th.”

The studio had confirmed earlier this week that Ready or Not had sold 2 million copies on consoles in just a couple of weeks after release. The milestone was crossed pretty quickly after the studio had announced 1 million copies sold on consoles in the game’s first four days of release.

Ready or Not is a tactical shooter that puts players in the shoes of Commander David “Judge” Beaumont. In charge of D Platoon of the Los Sueños Police Department, players must take on various missions that demand tactical assessment and finesse, with objectives ranging from busting drug dealers to rescuing hostages. The title can be played in single-player mode with AI squad mates, or through online co-op.

For more details about Ready or Not, check out our review of its PS5 version. Also check out our thoughts on why millions of players have found themselves addicted to Ready or Not.

To put this further into perspective, Ready or Not sold over nine million copies as of this past April on PC alone. It amassed this total after first entering Steam Enter Access in December 2021. It achieved roughly 20 percent of its PC lifetime sales on consoles alone in a fraction of that time, bringing the total to about 11 million sales. One could argue that word of mouth helped set the console versions up for success, which was already evident pre-launch, given the strong pre-orders.

However, it’s the strong word of mouth that has kept the sales momentum going. I believe that it’s more than that, though. We’ve discussed Ready or Not extensively over the past several weeks. From our review praising its attention to detail, presentation and gameplay to the solo Commander mode; from examining what makes it so terrifying (spoiler: SWAT life can be quite scary) to deconstructing its appeal over something like Call of Duty. That last bit is interesting to me because even if Activision’s flagship franchise/microtransaction platform has wider appeal, the success of Ready or Not showcases that there’s a market for realistic tactical shooters.

My reasoning, in short? It’s just a really well-made video game, whether you’re playing it on consoles or PC. The long version? It’s a really well-made video game that isn’t exorbitantly priced (at least by today’s standards), demanding about $49.99. The golden price of the contemporary age of gaming.

Look back on this year of gaming thus far, and you’ll see similar success stories. Clair Obscur: Expedition, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered…even Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, despite its PC performance troubles. This isn’t to say that there aren’t compelling titles in the range of $60 to $70 or even in the $30 to $40 range, but $50 is quickly becoming a sweet spot for some of the better games released this year.

You would think that Ready or Not, as a tactical shooter with a finite campaign (18 missions), would struggle to justify its price. After all, there’s no grinding per se – all of the equipment and firearms are available from the outset. The only real unlocks are cosmetics for your squad, which are obtained by scoring top marks in missions. There is paid DLC, neatly packaged in a $70 Deluxe Edition alongside the base game, and while they include new cosmetics, weapons are added for free over time. So, no microtransactions or a battle pass to unlock content that you already paid for.

Instead, Void Interactive justifies its asking price in two ways: Nuanced gameplay and replayable missions. Both aspects have been covered to death by now, but it bears repeating – the tactical gameplay loop of systematically clearing rooms, taking down armed suspects, rescuing hostages, issuing commands to your squad, and realistic gunplay is incredibly solid. Even the decisions made before a mission, from the squad perks to the different armor types and choice of non-lethals, will have a big impact on your success.

It channels the likes of SWAT in the best ways possible while leaving plenty of room for its own unique mechanics. The fact that missions go beyond simply eliminating all hostiles and the scoring system prioritizes rescuing civilians ensures that multiple approaches are viable. The missions themselves are also incredibly well made, offering a wide range of objectives and intriguing scenarios (despite the horrifying subject matter of some). They’re also dynamic with hostiles and traps changing positions with each playthrough, ensuring that no two runs are the same. You never know when a routine run could suddenly erupt into chaos, and as frustrating as that can sometimes be, changing your strategy on the fly and surviving feels great.

Couple this with all the other systems, like managing squadmates’ stress and ensuring they don’t go off the deep end, and the overall aspect of mastery, and Ready or Not has plenty to offer for the solo player. In some ways, it carries the appeal of an immersive sim, as you discover various ways to complete a mission with a top score, including fully non-lethal, solo with a silenced pistol, quick and lethal, or even a mix of all these.

The fact that some of the toughest challenges are achievable despite the scenarios and challenging AI, which becomes outright unforgiving at higher difficulty levels, only adds to the appeal. This is all without considering co-op, and given how vastly different the dynamic can be, offering a whole new experience in its own right, that’s saying something.

Beyond all of this, I think Ready or Not fills a niche that console players have wanted for a long time, especially from the likes of Call of Duty. No bombastic campaign that holds your hand, occasionally asking you to participate in its grand set pieces, and then ultimately moving on when it’s all said and done, but something with substance, where you’re an active participant that’s driving (or dragging) the mission down.

The finite nature also feeds into something that more and more players are demanding from games nowadays: A complete experience. Sure, the Mission Pass offers more content, but the threads connecting the base game’s missions are contained entirely within it. The narrative isn’t something that could really be “finished” after completing all the main missions, which mirrors the real-life nature of crime and police work more than anything. But by the time you’ve finished Ready or Not’s campaign, regardless of whether you embark on higher difficulties or not, you’ll have gotten your money’s worth. Best of all, none of the missions feel like filler. Each brings something notable to the table, adding to the experience while gradually upping the challenge.

On consoles, Void Interactive deserves credit for tuning the experience to accommodate controllers, especially when issuing commands. The sheer amount of settings for deadzone, look acceleration, sensitivity, and so on is also surprisingly robust. On top of all this, the development team continues to support all versions with free updates. Los Sueños Stories added four new weapons and two remastered maps alongside tons of fixes and improvements across the board at launch. It has since received smaller patches to address other issues, with another set to debut next week.

Where it could go after this is ultimately unknown – another DLC pack will launch in 2026, but long-term plans for the franchise as a whole remain to be revealed. And yet, I find some solace in that. Being able to pick up a complete experience, enjoy everything on offer and ultimately move on is something to be treasured in this era of live-service games or titles that demand a hundred hours of your time (especially when it gets to the fun faster). And while there’s certainly plenty of room for a massive role-playing game or open world experience, the fact that experiences like this exist for a reasonable price is something worth playing.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Following its early access launch in December 2023, Ready or Not’s sales crossed nine million this past April for PC. This current milestone would put its overall lifetime sales at over 11 million, which is very impressive.

Set in the fictional Los Sueños, Ready or Not follows D Platoon, the LSPD’s tactical unit that responds to major crises. You’re the leader, David Beaumont aka “Judge,” who must lead the squad through hostage situations, drug busts, and even seedier operations. The realistic nature of the gunplay, its attention to detail, and AI have earned significant acclaim for the title.

For more details on the console version, check out our review. We gave it an eight out of ten for its gameplay, presentation and atmosphere.

Take the Call of Duty series, for example. We thought it would be a good idea to dive back into series to try comparing and contrasting the two games and came away with the impression that VOID Interactive has managed to breathe new life into FPS games by eschewing the more mainstream approach that other studios have chosen.

While Call of Duty titles rely on grand set-pieces and protagonists that can soak up an inhuman amount of bullets as they go into missions all guns blazing, Ready or Not encourages a more restrained approach. It is rooted in accountability and strategy, with VOID Interactive’s emphasis on realism baked into the very DNA of the game.

By doing so, Ready or Not is everything Call of Duty is not. It takes everything that doesn’t work in its more popular counterpart, and cleverly riffs on each issue to produce an experience that is a lot more satisfying thanks to its innovative approach.

Building an Authentic Aesthetic

As usual in Call of Duty games, its protagonists find that a simple extraction mission turns into an encounter with a rogue group of operatives. The associated cutscenes and the firefight that ensues as a result of those events are full of fancy graphical touches that are visually pleasing, but are simply there to present cinematic flair. Taking enemies down brings other gimmicks like kill cams and victory dances.

The same goes for the area in which the firefight ensues. The potential for massive explosions is always there, with arenas littered with flammable items that you can shoot to take out bunches of enemies, while your protagonists could very well be invulnerable to gunfire on easier difficulties.

It’s almost like the grim circumstances that have forced such encounters are simply there to allow for a fireworks display that is frankly unrealistic and more than a little tone deaf when compared to Ready or Not’s approach.

VOID Interactive’s choice to do away with all of the fancy fluff stands as a clever way to undercut its biggest competitor in the genre. Each of its levels holds real danger for its protagonists, their team, suspects, and hostages. Anything could go wrong at any point, and your decisions in the field actually matter in a way that Call of Duty and similar titles have not managed to emulate.

You control real people, in very realistic environments in which a victory dance would be a frivolous display considering how everybody around you is clearly in fight or flight mode. No individual is bulletproof, including you. And that means that the people you encounter as you go about your objectives are actual people, and not props on the set of a movie shoot.

Ready or Not proves that realism is a boon and not a bane in the FPS genre. But that’s just one of the ways in which it flips the script on its competition.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

VOID interactive clearly took Uncle Ben’s words to heart when it designed Ready or Not’s gameplay loop. They underline its design philosophy in which Judge is quite a skilled SWAT officer but is as vulnerable to catching a stray bullet as the suspects he is trying to apprehend.

Call of Duty lays an emphasis on its protagonists being a one man army, firing away at hordes of enemies with reckless abandon with the only consequence of death being a quick respawn. Moreover, it encourages players to kill as many enemies as they can manage.

Your kill counts are a metric that measure your success in Call of Duty. Death is just a commodity, and a rather cheap one at that. For a game that features trained military operatives in very dangerous situations, it is unrealistic that they move from one deadly encounter to another with nary a comment on how taking lives has left a burden on their bodies and minds.

It’s a good thing that VOID Interactive went in exactly the opposite direction. You and your team are officers operating within the bounds of the law, and are expected to preserve life rather than simply snuff it out. That extends to your suspects as much as it does to their hostages, with the game actively discouraging needless slaughter and providing narrative context to its emphasis on a tactical, cautious approach.

Killing an enemy or causing the death of a hostage comes with real consequences, with teammates requiring therapy to deal with the emotional trauma that comes with taking a life however noble their intentions may have been. Trigger discipline is the name of the game, just as it should have been in Call of Duty, and perhaps especially more so considering its protagonists are trained military personnel.

It’s a distinction that brings a very immersive facet to Ready or Not, and elevates it in comparison to Call of Duty where mindless killing can quickly become a part of the experience. It also serves to expose another subtle difference between two distinctly different gameplay loops.

Substance Over Style

Our time with Call of Duty in the wake of many an hour lost in the gritty realism of Ready or Not brought that distinction to the fore quite quickly. The former’s mission design relied on flashy cutscenes and unrealistic stakes meant to justify its over-the-top action that ultimately ceased to matter owing to the spectacle on offer.

The stakes may be high, but there is no fear of actual loss in a Call of Duty game. Its gameplay loop is designed around thrills and kills, aiming to give its players a power trip without making them actually work for the rewards they derive from their time in the game.

And don’t get us started on the amount of tools that players have at their disposal. Various weapons, perks, and other upgrades add layers of raw power to a player’s arsenal, making their tasks a whole lot easier in the process. That’s not the case in Ready or Not.

That reflects what a law enforcement officer in a similar situation would be carrying in the real world, VOID Interactive’s shooter actively creates situations where conserving your ammo and limited tools is a more sensible way to approach its missions.

There’s no spectacle on display, with the game simply giving players a cursory briefing, introducing its tension through the desperation of those they are supposed to rescue and the realistic criminal tendencies of those they must attempt to apprehend. Its power trips come from the simple expectation that as an officer trained to handle such situations, you are simply trusted to figure things out on the fly.

And that’s easier said than done, just as it should be in its missions that have situations evolving based on your actions. While it pays to antagonize your enemies in Call of Duty, doing so in Ready or Not makes you the bad guy.

The tension that VOID Interactive builds doesn’t come from unrealistic narratives or what’s on your screen – it comes from what could be waiting for you around the next corner.

Ready For a Revolution?

Ready or Not stands out from its competition in a crowded genre thanks to a barebones approach to its design, at least in terms of the scale and scope of its missions. But that doesn’t make the stakes it presents from one mission to the next any less higher.

Its core philosophies of restraint, ethics, and integrity that are reflected in how its protagonists must approach their objectives are a part of its design, and not just an afterthought to justify dishing out death in droves.

Its examination of political issues surrounding law enforcement comes from a place that’s grounded in the effects that they have on the people they influence. It’s a glaring contrast to using those issues to set up narratives that may be ambitious, but lack the insight they need to justify the heights they aim for.

Ready or Not is proof that the FPS genre doesn’t need massive budgets and production values to deliver engaging experiences. It’s relevance in the current generation of FPS titles, and perhaps shooters in general, is in its simplicity and its ability to focus on what really matters in a great game.

It is engaging in ways that Call of Duty could only wish for. It doesn’t just stand as a worthy competitor to the long-standing franchise. It is now a benchmark that exposes everything hollow about it.

An Acquired Taste

However, it must be said that Ready or Not cannot be everyone’s cup of tea. There are times when players just looking to unwind and have a bit of fun with a shooter might choose an action shooter because they want to jump into intense battles and just fire away until they are the last man standing. Perhaps they don’t want their games to demand too much from them, and that’s perfectly all right.

But for players who want to be challenged, there’s no question that Ready or Not is the one they would choose. It requires patience. It requires a careful, methodical approach to its missions. It requires tactical thinking and the ability to improvise after your plans go awry. It is designed to attract players who believe that war and violence are not fun and games, and wish there was a game that caters to those ideals.

For such players, Ready or Not is the game they have always wanted, and a truly revolutionary title whose success could hopefully inspire others to follow in its path.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.